Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker would apply to workers in community pharmacies.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

Those working in pharmacies, where they are not otherwise captured by the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act will be covered by the new offence.